Helping hand for flood victims

Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) president Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing and his party have launched a special drive to secure donations from Sarawakians to help flood victims in the peninsula. pic by SPDP

MIRI: A noble effort has been launched to get business towkays, giant companies, organisations and individuals in Sarawak to donate generously towards helping in the rebuilding the lives of the tens of thousands of people in the peninsula states whose properties and homes had been ravaged by the massive floods over the past three weeks.

The Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) has joined in this move by setting up a special fund – SPDP Flood Disaster Relief Fund – to collect as much donations in cash and kind as possible for distribution to the flood-ravaged communities in the various states in the peninsula, especially in the east coast region.

SPDP president Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing launched the fund last week during a SPDP Supreme Council meeting in Bintulu.

Tiong, who is also Bintulu MP and the Prime Minister’s special envoy to Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, will personally lead the donation drive.

He has also asked all the SPDP Supreme Council members to also go all out in their effort to secure material and financial donations as soon as possible.

“I have instructed party secretary-general (Anthony Nogeh) and treasurer-general (Roland Ting) to open a special bank account where we can channel the cash donations.

“We will also be collecting material donations. We will then channel all the cash and material aid received to the appropriate agencies for distribution to the flood victims in the various states in the peninsula.

“We want help rebuild the lives of those tens of thousands of people who are suffering badly now.

“This is the time for Sarawakians to show our solidarity with our friends in the peninsula whose lives had been ravaged by the massive floods.

“Our party will be going out in full force to collect donations in cash, cheques or in kind. I am also personally getting in touch with business leaders in Bintulu to source for their assistance in sourcing for more donations,” Tiong told Sarawak Metro via an email from his press secretary.

The Sarawak state government, through Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem, had last week already handed over donations of RM2mil to the national disaster relief body to help the flood victims in the peninsula.

In a separate matter, the SPDP Supreme Council appointed several individuals to hold numerous key posts in the party.

Among those appointed were Iban community leaders from various parts of Sarawak who will serve as Supreme Council members for the next three years.

Tiong said that SPDP was a multiracial party and wwould reflect this stand by appointing people from

the various races to be part of the Supreme Council which is the highest decision-making organ in SPDP.

The SPDP haas also reserved seats for the Youth and Wanita wings so that they too will have key representations in the SPDP Supreme Council.